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Record numbers expected to attend the Farnborough Air Show. Britain's new fighter plane, the F35-B, will perform there after makings its debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo. It is a world leading supersonic jet and part of a massive investment that will lead to 24,000 new jobs in the UK.

Airbus will also fly its brand new passenger plane, the A350. The Dreamliner and A380 Super Jumbo will also feature. The theme of the show will be the 100th anniversary of the Great War with planes from every decade flying.

Record numbers of exhibitors and members of the public will attend this year's Air Show. More planes than ever before, around 100, will be on show and fly. In spite of the poor economy, space is now 98 per cent sold. Around £50 billion of trade is expected during the week.

Video. The flight was two minutes early...the plane was more than three years late. The first of a new generation of aircraft finally took off from Gatwick today - after delays caused by technical faults and safety scares. Our Transport Correspondent Mike Pearse reports.

Thousands of holidaymakers will be getting partial refunds - after being told the new Dreamliner planes won't be ready in time for the busy summer season. Today, Boeing said the Dreamliners can now fly, although it doesn't know when. Transport Correspondent Mike Pearse reports.

Boeing today confirmed the safety problems with the 787 Dreamliner have been resolved but can't say when British airlines will fly them. We have an interview with Larry Loftis from Boeing.

The company say they are working as fast as possible to resume deliveries. It's not expected that Thomson, the UK launch airline, will get them in time for the busy summer season. Thousands of passengers had booked and paid a £10 supplement to fly on the planes.

Thomson Airways says it's activating contingency plans to switch customers to other aircraft, in the absence of a delivery schedule from Dreamliner manufacturers, Boeing.

The holiday firm is contacting those affected to tell them they will be travelling on Thomson Airways 767 long haul aircraft.

The supplement paid for the 787 Dreamliner flight will be refunded to those customers who proceed with their original holiday bookings, and customers will also have the option to amend their holiday without incurring any amendment fees."

– Thomson Airways statement

They added: "We understand how frustrating and disappointing this news will be for those customers looking forward to flying on the 787 Dreamliner, we are equally as disappointed that Boeing was not able to confirm a delivery date for us. Unfortunately these circumstances are out of our control."

Gatwick Airport has recorded a fall in passenger numbers with 0.8% less people choosing to fly in January compared to last year.

The airport said "economic conditions remain challenging" and the weather was also affecting its operations.

However, it continued to see growth in domestic and long haul markets with 6,800 and 21,900 more passengers, respectively.

Nick Dunn, chief financial officer, said: “In January we saw a slight decline in the number of passengers travelling through Gatwick, which is a reflection of lower European traffic. However this was balanced with growth from long haul airlines serving Asia.

“We are delighted that Garuda Indonesia has chosen Gatwick to operate a vital new direct route to a key high-growth business market.

"Jakarta is also a major hub airport for South East Asia, giving UK passengers even more access and choice to the region.”

The UK launch of the Dreamliner, the so-called plastic plane of the future, is set to be delayed because of continued fears over safety.

Thomson was due to fly its first Boeing 787 from Gatwick in May but delivery of its planes is now on hold.

The first should have arrived in the next two weeks. The airline is the UK launch customer. All 50 of the planes in service have been grounded since a battery fire on a Japanese Airlines flight in Boston last month.

Safety officials in the USA ordered all the Dreamliners to be grounded following safety tests. They will not fly passengers until a solution is found to the problem.

A test flight took place over the weekend but the issue remains unresolved. Experts say a solution could be months away.

The Dreamliner was developed at Farnborough and many components are built in the region supporting thousands of jobs.

Airlines have placed orders for more than 800 of the planes. Made from a composite of plastic and carbon they burn less fuel.

Inside windows are twice as big and the planes have more space. A new air system is aimed at reducing jet lag. Thomson has launched an advertising campaign calling the 787 the "future of long-haul travel".

The 787, known as the Dreamliner, is Boeing's newest and most technologically advanced jet and the company is counting heavily on its success.

But since its launch, which came after delays of more than three years, the plane has been plagued by a series of problems including a battery fire and fuel leaks.

Japan's ANA and Japan Airlines are major customers for the jet and among the first to fly it. Both airlines have now grounded their Dreamliners following the latest incident.

Inflatable chutes from the All Nippon Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane which made an emergency landing at Takamatsu airport. Credit: REUTERS/KYODO Kyodo

The 787 relies more than any other modern airliner on electrical signals to help power nearly everything the plane does.

It is also the first Boeing plane to use rechargeable lithium ion batteries, which charge faster and can be moulded to space-saving shapes compared to other aircraft batteries. The plane is made with lightweight composite materials instead of aluminium.

The US Federal Aviation Administration said it was "monitoring a preliminary report of an incident in Japan earlier today involving a Boeing 787".